Wednesday, December 31, 2014

What can be said in New Year rhymes,That's not been said a thousand times?The new years come, the old years go,We know we dream, we dream we know.We rise up laughing with the light,We lie down weeping with the night.We hug the world until it stings,We curse it then and sigh for wings.We live, we love, we woo, we wed,We wreathe our prides, we sheet our dead.We laugh, we weep, we hope, we fear,And that's the burden of a year.

On the cusp of saying Goodbye to 2014 to entering a new year. Has the past year been all we anticipated it to be? Were our resolutions fulfilled?
For me, some wishes and dreams never came to pass but then some events did happen that could never have been known in those first moments that 2014 began. In hindsight the year held some pretty awesome moments and I have no regrets. I am totally happy with our life and that in itself is the best way to end this year.Should auld acquaintance be forgot, And never brought to mind? Should auld acquaintance be forgot, And days o’ lang syne!

Monday, December 29, 2014

yeah, standing here looking into a New Year, sure, some things look pretty impossible.So that's what we're going to do here: we're going to pray for the impossible things, the improbable, implausible, impractical things.We don't just pray for the possible --- because ours is the God who whispers: "With Me nothing, Nothing, NOTHING is impossible." You are the God who makes the ridiculously impossible into the miraculously possible,the unbelievable into the you-better-believe-it,the never into the now.We are the people who pray it bold at the beginning of a New Year: BUT GOD.We pray the impossible prayers -- because as long we are with God: *nothing is impossible.* ~ Anne Voskamp

Tuesday, December 16, 2014

1. If you think marriage would have been much easier with somebody else, you're probably wrong.

2. Most marital problems are fixable. Really. Even the tough ones.

3. The D word (divorce) is a dangerous weapon. I suggest the F word instead: frustrated. Nobody's heart will be broken if you say, "I'm so FRUSTRATED I could scream!"

4. The term wedded bliss should be stricken from every couple's vocabulary. Marriage is wonderful in many ways, but expecting bliss makes the inevitable rough times seem like a problem when they're simply part of the deal.

5. That bit about how your partner won't change: Wrong. My husband and I met in our early 20s. If we'd both stayed just as we were, we'd still be two naïve kids, stubbornly insisting we have to have things our way, thinking marriage shouldn't be as challenging as it is.

6. Marriage doesn't get good or stay good all on its own.

7. Every one of us is, in our own way, difficult to live with. Beginning to work on evenone of your own problem behaviors will make a big difference in the quality of your marriage. Added bonus: your spouse will greatly appreciate it!

8. People who are unhappily married sometimes think marriage is the problem -- that marriage is unnatural or outdated or impossible to do well. There's not a third entity called marriage. Everything that goes on between you is your creation. Each of you playing your part. Why not create something worthwhile?

9. Marriage is a "learn on the job" proposition. None of us comes into it with all the skills we need for success. When the going gets rough it's most often a sign that we need some new skills -- not a sign that we need a new spouse.

10. Struggle in marriage is not only inevitable, it's necessary. None of us can grow a strong and healthy relationship without having to face and resolve difficult issues.

11. Even the best marriage can't make up for the difficulties we faced growing up. We all come with childhood injuries. Thinking your spouse can make you feel safe and secure when you're wobbly inside is too much to ask. The sooner (and more effectively) you deal with your "stuff," the healthier and more satisfying your marriage will be.

12. Love grows as much from the challenges we face and surmount together as from the delights that we share.

13. Marriage is a long negotiation about how two people are going to run things. Money. Intimacy. Parenting. Chores. You can battle, or you can collaborate. Collaboration is a lot more rewarding.

14. Even the most stubborn among us can learn how to yield. Trust me on this one.

15. Most of your spouse's upsets and frustrations aren't about you -- but some are. The sooner you figure out which is which, the better off you'll be.

16. During hard times, commitment may be your saving grace. The fact that, way back when, you said "'till death do us part" may be the only reason you keep two feet in long enough to fix what's not going well. And that's reason enough.

17. Marriage can make you a better person or a worse person. It's your choice.

18. Complaints and criticisms aren't the same thing as requests for change.

19. Discouragement is one of the greatest threats to marriage. I've seen struggling couples give up on marriages that could quite likely be saved had they been given the proper guidance and encouragement to hang in there and fix things.

20. Thinking you have a 50-50 chance of ending up divorced makes it seem like a coin toss. It's not. There are some behaviors that nearly guarantee failure. We all know what they are. It's a good idea to not do them.

21. Being nice helps.

22. Saying thank-you does, too.

23. The happier I am about my own life, the less irritated I am about my husband's irritating behaviors.

24. A good marriage will have its share of conflict, frustration, boredom, unresolvable arguments, slammed doors and nights where one person sleeps on the couch. The key is to have enough good things to balance them out.

25. It's not always easy to keep your heart open.

26. Love matters. While love doesn't heal all, even (especially) during hard times, love is a touchstone, a reminder of why you got together in the first place.

27. Marriage is not an antidote for loneliness. While marriage provides companionship, closeness and connection are not a constant. Sometimes we're in sync. Sometimes we're not. It's important to be able to soothe and comfort yourself when need be.

28. It's easy to get into a rut when you're with the same person, year after year. Sex. Vacations. Dinner. How you spend Saturday night. Change things. Add some spice.

29. Most good marriages have one person who plays the role of the relationship "guardian": The person who brings up difficult subjects. The person who stays hopeful in hard times. The person who acts as a steadying influence when one or both of you are getting worked-up. In an ideal world, that role would be shared. In the real world it only takes one.

30. One of the best things to do in the midst of a fight is to stop fighting. Take a break. Cool down. Come back to it later. Hotheads are terrible problem solvers.

31. Some conflicts cannot be resolved by compromise. (We can't have half a child or buy half a vacation home). When there's no such thing as "meeting halfway," the solution becomes a matter of generosity, where one person says "yes" to their second choice and the other acknowledges that as a gift.

32. Fights are never about content. Where we store the dish soap, whether it's quicker to take the frontage road or the freeway, whether it's horribly rude not to answer a text -- none of these are worth getting ourselves all in a twist. Our upsets are about the larger meaning we make of that unanswered text, that resistance to influence, that refusal to take seriously the things we request. It's really helpful to accurately name what's setting you off.

33. There's a big difference between being happily married and living happily ever after. None of us are happy 24/7. Thank goodness we don't need to be.

Monday, December 15, 2014

The sunshine is shining brightly over everything that is thickly coated with hoar frost. The sunshine brings to life all the glitter on all that is covered. It's cold and every step out on the snow creates a crunch and the car tires whines along the roads.

Had to go out to do some running around and grocery shop for the ingredients to make a seafood lasagna and enjoy a feast on Wed. when Kevin and family and Colin will come over for gift opening. As usual I have gotten too much food and really can't keep it while we're away so I'll just send it along home with Colin and Jodie.

Sunday, December 14, 2014

I'd really like to get back into my Blog....if only just to have a place to keep my thoughts. Days, months and years go by so quickly that it's hard to remember details of my everyday life. This has been a very busy year, one with many changes as well. Winter has returned and outside today is icy fog, snow and freezing temps!!

We are busy planning a trip to Abbotsford to a Michael W. Smith concert for the 21st and then over to Andy & Ruth's for Christmas. We'll be away for nine days, then back home for a Sibling get together and New Years. Looking forward to the entire Festive season!

Quote for Today

About Me

Faye

I have been married to my first love for 40years. We survived raising 3 sons and they have turned out pretty darn great :) And they have given us 2 grandkids....SO much fun!! I love to create...oil paintings, knitting, scrapbooking,reading.